I can’t believe I managed to lose 7 pounds in 10 days – let me tell you how I did it. A few weeks ago a personal trainer named Tara Grimes, who is also a brand ambassador for Spar NI, approached me and asked would I trial her new “10 day kick-start” program. It was the second week of university, so my final ever ‘Freshers’ week had taken its toll on me. I was also recently back from Thailand (which meant eating out four times a day, and drinking beer from noon to night) and had put on the ‘placement pounds’… as sitting at a desk from 9-5 without eating some sort of chocolate is basically impossible. So I thought, sure why not?!

I play Gaelic football so train regularly, although my eating isn’t great and has never been. I eat out regularly and can’t go a day without bread! So when I read what the programme consisted of, the Sunday night before I started it, I was really doubting myself.

On Monday 16th I started the program. It was a calorie deficient program where you were only allowed 1400 calories daily. I know, it sounds terrible! On the first day for breakfast I had scrambled eggs, bacon, tomatoes and spinach WITHOUT bread and it was surprisingly lovely. Lunch consisted of a tuna salad and dinner was chicken and vegetables. The first day was awful as I found it so hard to not snack (especially when storm Ophelia was battering outside and everyone in my house was drinking hot chocolate).

On the first day I was also required to do a HIIT session, which is a high intensity interval training session where you do certain exercises and repeat them in sets of four, whilst taking a thirty second break in-between. I am not joking when I say I could not walk for two days after. I hadn’t done proper training like this in months so this was definitely a shock to the system!

Days two-five continued on like this which a very regular routine of breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack when it allowed for it on the plan. It was extremely difficult, especially being a student in Belfast when there is temptation everywhere. In saying that the meals were great with lots of options and choice to cater for everyone’s taste. There were ten different breakfasts, lunches and dinners however I found my favourites and stuck to them. The turkey mince curry was one of my favourites. There was also carbs on the program which was ideal!

On the kick-start program, no alcohol was permitted. Not to sound like an alcoholic or anything, but I did my first ever sober night out in Belfast on day two, and it was grand – although there are only so many glasses of water you can drink!

Day six rolled around and I thought, I will weigh myself that morning to see if this is working at all. I could not believe it. I had lost four pounds in basically five days!! The HIIT session that morning was surprisingly easier than normal as weighing myself was the best motivation to keep going strong.

Tara wanted someone in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s to trial the program to see if it actually worked before she officially launched it to the public. We had a private Facebook group where we all posted in pictures of our food, any questions we had and really motivated each other throughout the process. Around day 6/7 other women had weighed themselves and also lost in and around 5 pounds too. So clearly, the “kickstart” program definitely works. The private Facebook group now has over 300 people all supporting each other.

By the time day ten had come around, I felt like I wasn’t as hungry in-between meals and that my body had started to get used to the normal routine of breakfast, lunch and dinner without eating any crap. On the tenth day I really couldn’t believe it when I had lost a total of 7 pounds. It is a crazy amount to lose in ten days, but I never felt like I was totally starving myself, as the portions Tara planned were huge! It was an amazing feeling and clearly visible as my clothes were fitting better. I had tried a formal dress on two weeks before I started the program, which didn’t zip up. After the ten days it zipped and fitted perfectly!

Two sober nights out, no take-aways and no coffee was extremely hard. In saying that there are no juices, no powders or pills, it is just good food! However, when you realise that 10 days is only a third of a month, a small percentage of your year and a tiny part of your life – it is so worth it!

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Who is Tara Grimes?

Tara is one of Ireland's top fitness & weight loss experts. Tara’s nutrition & fat loss expertise has helped transform the bodies of 1000’s of clients in Ireland and her online business is now helping clients across the world.

Her journey as a nutrition and fitness coach is not the traditional route, but stems from her own experiences and life as a busy mum of 4. Tara holds a BA (Hons) degree from the University of Ulster and an MSc from Queen's University Belfast.

Her business is based entirely on the success of her clients.

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Who is Tara Grimes?

Tara is one of Ireland's top fitness & weight loss experts. Her journey as a nutrition and fitness coach is not the traditional route, but stems from her own experiences and life as a busy mum of 4. Tara holds a BA (Hons) degree from the University of Ulster and an MSc from Queen's University Belfast. Her business is based entirely on the success of her clients.

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If you have made the decision to get leaner, fitter and healthier, then you need look no further. Having years of experience delivering amazing results for 1000’s of women, I understand how difficult it can be to sustain a healthy eating & exercise plan whilst living a busy, stressful life, I get it! My aim is to cut through the science, simplify your life and fast track your way to a better body.